


The Secret

by Rkarena59



Category: Frizzies: Franco Baldwin and "Elizabeth Webber General Hospital
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 09:44:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20703938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rkarena59/pseuds/Rkarena59
Summary: Franco is tormented by his past and the possibility he could have been born evil





	The Secret

Franco finished tucking in Aiden. The little boy smiled at him and rolled over and immediately fell asleep. He stood there looking down at the sleeping boy. Aiden had no memory of Franco taking him from the hospital and giving him to Betsy, but Franco did, and now it was eating away at him. 

The two months he had been away from Elizabeth and the boys had been the hardest two months he had ever experienced. Seeing all his paintings and recognizing the horror he had perpetrated had slammed into him like a sledgehammer to the gut. The darkness in him had stirred and terrified him. Why? Why had he done all those terrible things? The doctors said it was the tumor, but was that really so? 

He had tried to explain his fears to Elizabeth. She listened but told him his past was just that, his past. She was certain they had a future together and she wouldn’t let him slide backward. In that moment and because he wanted it so bad, he had believed her and set about making that future. Everything had been perfect and then he found that  _ damn _ picture. Suddenly, two arms wrapped around him bringing him back to the present and pushing his dark thoughts away. He turned in the arms to look down at his angel. “Hi, didn’t hear you come in.”

Elizabeth smiled, “I noticed. Penny for your thoughts.”

“Why do you love me?” The words just spilled out before he could stop them. “I know why I love you but after everything I’ve done, how can you possibly love me?”

Surprised at his question, Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to say. Looking into his eyes she saw that fear she had seen when he came back from New York. Something was wrong, and it was eating away at him. She picked her words carefully. “Franco, I love you because you make me feel alive. More alive than I ever thought possible. For years, I’ve just wandered through my life, hoping for someone to give me a happy ever after. I tried to make it happen and only succeeded in making mistakes. It was like I wanted something tangible to hold onto but it always kept slipping through my fingers. Then you re-entered my life. At first I hated you,”

  
  


At her words, Franco tried to pull away, but Elizabeth grabbed his face. “Stop. I hated you, past tense. But that all changed when you insisted on helping me whether I wanted your help or not.” She ran her thumb across his lips. “You made me see myself the way you saw me. I wasn’t just Ric’s or Jason’s leftovers. They didn’t define me, I did. Once I realized that, I stopped looking at you based on your past transgressions.” Franco turned his head to look down at Aiden. She turned his face back to her. “You aren’t that monster anymore. I see a man trying to find his way in a world that is totally foreign to him. Your view of the world has been warped both by your life and a tumor. The removal of your tumor has allowed you to redefine yourself. I once told you I was afraid I couldn’t get past everything you’ve done but you need to believe me when I say that I have and I understand now.” 

He reached up and covered her hand. She always blushed when he called her his angel but only his angel could make him feel hopeful and once again she was doing just that. He was mesmerized listening to her, “What? What do you understand?”

Elizabeth took his hand and led him from Aiden’s room to their bedroom. Closing the door, she led him to the bed. “I understand that you still have and will always have a streak of darkness in you. I know the tumor didn’t make you do everything you did in your previous life nor did it have anything to do with you going after Tom Baker. You are dangerous and I have a feeling that you might revert back to some of your old habits if the occasion arises. I also have faith, that you will never again take things to their worst results. What I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t care about that. I believe you will never harm me or the boys. I know this because I know you truly love me and them equally and you would die before hurting us. I love you because you make me happy and you let me be your equal. I want us to be together. We make each other strong.” Before he could say anything else. she put her arms around his neck and whispered.“Franco, let me make you happy.” 

Franco took a cleansing breath, captured her lips and dropped back on the bed with her on top of him. Elizabeth clung to him, not even breaking the kiss as they went falling. In short work, they got rid of the interfering clothes and soon were touching and caressing each other. 

It was in the wee small hours of the morning and Franco slept with an arm around Elizabeth as she lay across his chest. Liz woke up and began kissing his abs gently. She heard Franco chuckle and looked up to see Franco looking down at her. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing is funny, that just tickles.” She paused what she was doing and instead moved to his belly button and blew hard into it. He laughed outright as his stomach muscles rippled. “Hey, no fair. Be careful. I know all of your special spots, too.”

“Maybe, but right now you’re at my mercy.” To prove her point she tickled him under his left ribs until he grabbed her. They were both laughing as he rolled on top of her bringing the tickling to a stop/

Franco looked at her lying beneath him. She was so precious to him and he knew he couldn’t lose her.  _ Stop being a fool, tell her. Tell her everything. She’ll understand.  _ He closed his eyes briefly gathering his courage. When he opened them he could see the concern and love in her eyes.

Liz was laughing up at Franco when he became so still She watched as the laughter died but saw his love shining down at her. She reached her hand up to his face, letting him know she was there for him and waited. 

He kissed her hand, swallowed and began to tell her what he had been hiding. “Elizabeth, I need to tell you something. I know what I have to tell you is going to make you mad but I hope you give me a chance to explain why I did what I did.” he rolled off of her and sat up in the bed. He turned his back on her because he didn’t want to see the horror in her eyes as he told her everything he had done. “You know as well as I that there are now two Jasons in town and that one of them is Drew. I know which is which.”

Liz sat up abruptly. “Franco how could you possibly know and why are you keeping it a secret?”

“You, you’re the reason. I’m afraid when I tell the secret you’ll leave me for one of them. Neither of them has my past. To you, they’re both misunderstood anti-heroes that can do no real wrong.. They never killed anyone for pleasure or simply to make art. That’s the kind of thing I did. Hell, I tortured Jason and Sam because I was furious when Jason refused to accept me. I tore your son from you and gave him to Betsy because I wanted to hurt Jason. Only a monster does that.”

Liz was stunned. She could hear the agony in Franco’s voice. He truly hated himself. Even though exonerated, he couldn’t really see any difference in the stuff he did before and the things he had done since the tumor. “Franco, stop! I don’t want either Jason. I told you that. Why do you think I would go back to either one?”

“Because I am a monster. Betsy told me the truth about myself. The tumor had nothing to do with the crimes I committed. It was all me. I was sick from the moment I was born. Jason and his brother were separated at birth but what happened after that was all my fault. I tried to kill Drew.”

The silence in the room was deafening. Liz froze, unable to believe what she was hearing. Franco had always been fearful of losing her, but this was something more. She tentatively tried to touch Franco’s shoulder but he shuddered and pulled away. “Franco, please, I don’t understand. When did you try and kill Drew? What on earth did Betsy tell you that makes you think you’re still a monster?”

He had been holding it in for so long and now the whole story just came flooding out. “I told you I went to see her when I couldn’t find a death certificate. I wanted her to take me to Drew’s grave but she wouldn’t. Finally, she told me that Drew was still alive or so she thought. When I asked where he went she told me she gave him up to a foundling home and then she told me why. Betsy said she found Drew at the bottom of the basement stairs badly hurt. We had just turned three at the time. I asked her how he fell and she just looked at me. When I saw her face I realized she thought I had pushed him. I asked her how she knew it was me and if I said anything but she just shook her head and said she wasn’t there when it happened and that neither I nor Drew would say anything. I wanted to know why she thought I would do such a thing and why, if she thought I did hurt Drew, she didn’t give me away and all she said was that she knew Drew would be fine but that I needed her.” Franco finally turned back to Elizabeth. “That’s when I knew just how screwed up I really am. Don’t you see, when I heard that a Jason lookalike showed up at the Metro-Court, I panicked? I figured Drew had arrived and if he remembered what happened between us and told you, you would no longer want me anywhere near you and the boys.”

Liz had been listening quietly trying to take in everything Franco was telling her but the  more she heard the angrier she got. “Wait a minute. Did I hear you right? Did you just say that your mother told you you tried to kill your brother when you were three?”

Franco heard the tone in Elizabeth’s voice, she was horrified and angry. His worst fears were coming to pass. “I knew you would hate me and it appears you do. You have a right to know who you’re sleeping with. I couldn’t lie to you any longer. Thank you for this night. You do make me happy, just remember I do love you but I know now I’m no good for you. Look, I’ll leave before the boys get up.” He started to climb out of the bed when her hand caught him.

“You’re not going anywhere. Franco, I told you earlier this evening that I accept all of you. That includes every nasty or unsettling thing you might have done in your past, but you need to listen to me. I’m not angry with you. I’m angry with Betsy. What kind of mother lets her son think he hurt his own brother? You told me once that your mother was fragile and you learned to tread carefully so as not to break her delusions. Those are not the actions of an little boy who would willingly hurt anyone much less his brother. You loved your brother, I heard that love when you talked about him. You kept him alive in your memory and painted that beautiful painting. My God, Franco, you were three. Sure little toddlers sometimes strike out but normally it’s a means of establishing themselves. You said she confessed to not being there or seeing what happened. Where was she? How could she allow two small toddlers to play alone at the top of stairs without supervision? If anyone is to blame for Drew’s fall it is Betsy. I blamed myself for years because I left the front door open and that was when Jake was taken from us, but I would never turn around and blame him.” 

Franco had gone very still and made no further attempts to leave the bed. Liz crawled over to him and once again wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t, for one moment, think you hurt your brother and we’ll probably never know what really happened, but I do know you could never hurt any child. Yes, you took Aiden but you didn’t hurt him. You’ve been a great surrogate father to Kiki and helped her through everything with Morgan and when she was shot. You also went above and beyond your duties as an Art Therapist to help Jake. The boys love you and my kids are pretty perceptive.” Liz slipped under Franco’s arm and settled herself in his lap, forcing him to take her in his arms to keep her from slipping to the floor. “Am I making myself clear? I’m right where I want to be. I love you and there could be three dozen Jasons in town and none of them could compare to you.” She saw tears glistening in his eyes. She gently kissed his cheek. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure all this out in the morning.”

Franco nodded and kissed her softly and with her in his arms, he stood up and walked around to her side of the bed. He set her down and she moved a little bit toward his side of the bed and opened her arms. He slipped in beside her and she held him until he fell asleep.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
